Nearly half of the Island’s children aged five and younger have no place to go for care and education while their parents are working, according to statistics from the nonprofit MV Youth.
Early childhood programs on Martha’s Vineyard were already struggling to meet the demand when Covid-19 hit the Island last year. Now, even as some centers have expanded, they’re facing an acute shortage of staff.
Nationwide staffing shortages, worsened by the pandemic, are cutting particularly deep for care centers and preschools on the Island, where a higher cost of living collides with the traditionally low compensation for those who care for and teach the youngest children.